I guess I will start the content portion then, and will make an effort to put together an article for the SDC site that I will share here -in this first instance, I think it will be on managing the bridge crossings in the historical Wagram scenarios (mainly because that is what I am currently playing around with).

I doubt there will be much of a surprise in all of this, as it is mainly about effective management in game terms, as well as making an effort at command control maintenance and maybe traffic control as well.

I don't know that there is a lot that the Austrian player can do about this (although I guess as I am playing the AI in these tests that impacts the results a bit), or rather I will be sure to note that aspect of it... plus, there will be a lot of screenshots.

I don't have much of a time table on this but I don't think that it will take all that long (relatively speaking). Anyway ... it is about the topic. A major river crossing by a larger (by period standards) army. I guess in a sense it is also like managing the beach landings in Normandy.

Bill mentions the use of pioneers & skirmishers and I guess the player should indeed agree to his suggestion to, look here:viewtopic.php?f=5&t=15280

So a house rules like this might cover it appropriately:"Use Pioneer type units in their historical usage. Meaning that the breakdown of a pioneer unit into skirmishers won't use these skirmishers as light troops but to work on bridges."Or other suggestions?

Another one can be "No recon by leaders behind enemy lines." as this seems very gamey, especially with the usual replacement leaders that even if lost are replaced again.But how far should the leaders be restricted?

Bill mentions the use of pioneers & skirmishers and I guess the player should indeed agree to his suggestion to, look here:viewtopic.php?f=5&t=15280

So a house rules like this might cover it appropriately:"Use Pioneer type units in their historical usage. Meaning that the breakdown of a pioneer unit into skirmishers won't use these skirmishers as light troops but to work on bridges."Or other suggestions?

Divided companies of pioneers will guard for batteries of cannons on the hexes. Simulation of earth works around cannons.The same for alone buildings, villages, trenches, bridges, fords, crossroads, gates and castles.Simulation of crews for HQs, ammo dumps and sentries.

To eliminate the tactic of war i.e "blitzkrieg" , "vermiform movements" , "side by side" , "one by one" of whole units, we need to have the spacing between the stacks, hexes, formations, i.e should be 100m or 1heks. Such intervals to simulate formations, battalions, dyons, squadrons, companies in motion, in ordering, in touch of commander, in lines, columns, squares, etc. There must be a break for maneuvers, bypasses, retreats or escapes.

Divided companies of pioneers will guard for batteries of cannons on the hexes. Simulation of earth works around cannons.The same for alone buildings, villages, trenches, bridges, fords, crossroads, gates and castles.Simulation of crews for HQs, ammo dumps and sentries.

Now those are really interesting points, while I'm aware of great deeds that pioneers did like the crossing of the Berezina, where they really used that widely for other duties?

To eliminate the tactic of war i.e "blitzkrieg" , "vermiform movements" , "side by side" , "one by one" of whole units, we need to have the spacing between the stacks, hexes, formations, i.e should be 100m or 1heks. Such intervals to simulate formations, battalions, dyons, squadrons, companies in motion, in ordering, in touch of commander, in lines, columns, squares, etc. There must be a break for maneuvers, bypasses, retreats or escapes.

Well I guess depending on the optional rules the players are using any tight and/or overstacked formation will pay a price for it.Without spacing the player will face problems when maneuvering, trying to bypasses, retreat or escape. And with overstacking the casualties by artillery and musket fire are raised up to 50% I think.So I'm not sure there needs to be a rule for spacing, also because it would have to take the units size into consideration.

Primeval forests, woods, copses, thickets, shrubs, etc. were a big problem, even barrier for the movements troops during the Napoleonic wars. They used roads, paths, gaps and glades to the marches into the forest. Generally, they not fought in woods, certainly not in massive formations as it was on the fields, grasslands and opened areas with the commanders, regimental's banners and trumpeters. This applies to both infantry, cavalry and artillery. No matter whether, they were conscripts, linear, light or Guard. Naturally in skirmish mode, yes. Only. In the game we must to divide the whole battalions to the independent of companies. If they can. At the moment, these tactics, maneuvers are too much like as on the Crimean War, ACW and the IWW. It should be a ban on movement and the formation of line in the forest, a column should move 1 hex through the forest, while skirmishers 2 hexes as the old way.

organized infantry/cavalry could always melee skirmisher/wagon/officer/artillery limitation: skirmisher could only be engage by one hex artillery could be engage by any hex but attacker must start in contiguous hex

infantry in Line could never engage melee vs infantry exception Line could engage infantry by rear

infantry in column could engage melee limitation : over open terrain, only one hexe could engage melee. more than one unit cold engage melee but they must start move in the same hex over other terrain, melee could be initiate from contiguous hexe if they sart movement from contiguous hex

skirmisher could only engage melee vs artillery/skirmisher/wagon/officer/artilleryskirmisher could only melee from different hex if they start movement in contiguous hex.skirmisher from different hex could not regroup in one hex for melee purpose.

cavalry could charge from contiguous hexe if they start movement from contiguous hex or in the same hexe.cavalry are free to initiate any melee after the first one.

an officer must always be in the starting hex of one of the attacker or in a contiguous hex and must end his move with one attacker or in a contiguous hexno routed unit must be in the same hex as the officer, otherwise officer could not be in charge of melee.

no more than 3 Skirmishers by hex.disorganized Skirmishers not in cover and not with line/column must retreat if in contact with opposite unit

disorganized unit could not be moved at topDisorganized unit could not move closser than 3 hexes of enemy, unless there is friendly unit in a front hex.

This rule set goes beyond the aim of this thread as it seems to shift the gameplay considerably.

I see that you already did a separate thread for it and that is good as I can imaging there will come up discussions about the necessity of some points.

The intention of this thread is mainly to collect some small easy to use rules that can solve some basic problems or fill some gaps that are not really covered by any game mechanic or optional rule, so overall a much smaller endeavor that what you seem to aim for with your rule set.

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